Tune-sheet attachment for autopneumatic pianos.



PATENTED JULY 7, 1908. A. J. HOB-ART. y TUNE SHEET ATTACHMENT POR AUTOPNEUMATIC PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.15,19Q8.

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PATENTED JULY 7, 1908.

Y A. J.`HOBART. TUNE SHEET ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOPNEUM-ATIG PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED JA.N.15,1908.

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PATENTED JULY 7, 1908.

l A. J. HOBAET. TUNE SHEET ATTACHMENT EOE AUTOPNEUMATIG PIANos.

APPLIOATION FILED JANV.15,1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM J. IIOBART, OF ST. .IOHNSVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK ENGELI-IARDT da SONS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TUNE-SHEET ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOPNEUMATIC PIANOS.

Application filed January 15, 1908.

To all whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, ADAM J. HOBART, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. J olinsville, Montgomery county, State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tune-Sheet Attachments for Autopneumatic Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a tune sheet attachment for automatic pianos and pianoplayers, of the class in which a box containing an endless tune sheet may be removably secured to the piano case in such a manner as to cause an engagement between the tune sheet and the duct-bridge, and a simultaneous engagement between the tune sheet feedroller and the power-shaft. By my invention the box is attached to the case in a simple manner, insuring, furthermore, a true alinement between the co-acting parts of box and case.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of my improved tune sheet attachment, showing the box secured to the piano case; Fig. 2 a side view of the removable box, partly broken away 3 Fig. 3 a front view thereof; Fig. 4 a detail of the hook for securing the box to the case; Fig. 5 a rear view of part of the case with the box removed; Fig. 6 a horizontal section on line .6-6, Fig. 5; Figs. 7 and 8 are details of the two brackets that support the duct-bridge, and Fig. 9 an enlarged vertical section on line 9-9, Fig. 2, showing the hook in engagement with the keeper.

The case 10 of a piano or piano-player is provided preferably at its back with a recess 1 1 adapted to receive part of the tune-sheet box 12 which may be removably secured to case 1() in manner hereinafter described. The depth of recess 11 is such that a substantial portion of box 12 will enter the same, so that thereby the combined depth of piano case and box is correspondingly reduced. Within recess 11 there is secured to case 10, a horizontal rail 13 provided with a pair of keepers 14 which are thus rigid with case 10. Each keeper has a flange 15 seated on top of rail 13 and a shoulder or abutment 16 above said flange, (Fig. 1). Keepers 14 are secured to rail 13 above a pair of tune sheet guides 17 placed somewhat closer together thanl the keepers. Outside of keepers 14 there are furthermore secured to rail 13, a pair of brackets 18, 19 provided with shoul- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7, 1908.

Serial No. 410,900.

ders 20, 21, resting upon top of rail 13. To brackets 18, 19 is attached an obliquely set horizontal bar 22 which serves as a support for the duct-bridge 23. This duct-bridge is secured to the top of bar 22 by angle irons 24, and communicates with the usual pneumatic tubes 25 passing over a bulged projection 26 of bar 22. Bracket 19, besides supporting one end of the duct-bridge in the manner described, serves as a bearing for a shaft 27 on which is mounted a driving pulley 28 and a transmission pinion 29, the former receiving motion by a rope 30 from a suitable motor, (not shown). Recess 11 is defined at its bottom by a base plate 31 having raised ends 32 and a pair of abutments 33 overhanging such ends.

To each side of box 12 is rigidly secured, near the top thereof, a stepped frame which has the double function of securing the box removably to case 10, and of supporting the music sheet rollers. Each frame is composed of an upper vertical section 34, a lower vertical section 35, and a central horizontal section 36 that connects sections 34, 35. Lower section 35 projects forwardly beyond upper section 34, (Fig. 2), and also laterally beyond the same, (Fig. 3), it being fastened to strips 37 secured to the sides of box 12. Horizontal section 36 is screwed to the top of strip 37 as at 38, and together with top of lower section 35 extends forwardly over a recess 39 of box 12 adapted to accommodate rail` 13 and tune sheet guides 17. At its front, horizontal section 36 is shaped to form a hook 40, the downwardly extending beak of which is adapted to be projected over shoulder 16 of keeper 14, so as to suspend y box 12 from case 10. The distance between the inner sides of the two lower frame-sections 35 is such that they will snugly embrace keepers 14, and thus cause a proper centering of box 12, relative to duct-bridge 23, by holding the box against lateral displacement.

A pair of bearings 41, 42, on the stepped frame constructed as described, receive the shafts of a tune sheet feed roller 43 and a tune sheet guide roller 44, respectively. On shaft 45 of roller 43 is mounted a gear wheel 46 adapted to mesh into pinion 29 when box 12 is attached to case 10. Roller 44 is headed as at 47, and from it is suspended a suitable tension late 48. To upper frame-section 34 are fu crumed at 49, arms 50 in which is journaled a pressure roller 51 held against feed roller 43 by springs 52. The endless perforated music sheet 53, contained in box 12, is drawn by feed roller 43 over guide roller 44 to pass the lower operative end of duct-bridge 23 that faces the music sheet between such rollers.

At its bottom box 12 is provided with a pair of stops 54 which will engage abutments 38 of case 10, when the box is hooked to the latter, and thus cause the box to re main suspended from the case in an upright position.

It will be seen that by the construction described the tune sheet box may be quickly unhooked from the case by lifting whenever the music is to be changed, and may, readily, be re-attached thereto. Furthermore, the engagement of hooks 40 with keepers 14, together with the engagement between frame-sections 35 with the outer edges of keepers 14, insure at all times a true alineinent between case and box. Finally, as the box is countersunk into the case to a considerable extent, the combined depth of case and box will be correspondingly diminished, so that room is economized.

i claim:

1. An auto-pneumatic piano case, combined with a tune sheet box, a rigid keeper on one ofl said parts, a co-acting rigid hook on the other part, a duct-bridge within the case, and tune sheet rollers within the box, substantially as specified.

2. An auto-pneumatic piano case having a duct-bridge, a driving shaft, and a rigid keeper, combined with a box having a tune sheet, a tune sheet roller adapted to be intergeared with the driving shaft, and a rigid hook adapted to engage the keeper, substantially as specified.

3. An auto-pneumatic piano case having a duct-bridge, a rail, and a flanged keeper secured to said rail, combined with a box having a tune sheet, tune sheet rollers, and a hook adapted to engage the flanged keeper, substantially as specified.

4. An auto-pneumatic piano case havinga duct-bridge, and a pair of keepers, combined with a tune sheet box having a pair of frames, music rollers journaled in the frames, and hooks on the frames adapted to engage the keepers, substantially as specified.

5. An auto-pneumatic piano case having a duct-bridge, and a pair of keepers, combined with a tune sheet box having a pai r of stepped frames, music rollers ournaled inthe frames, and hooks on the frames adapted to engage the keepers, substantially as specified.

6. An auto-pneumatic piano case having a duct-bridge, and a pair of keepers, combined with a tune sheet box having frames adapted to flank the keepers, and hooks adapted to engage said keepers, substantially as specified.

7. An auto-pneumatic piano case having a duct-bridge, combined with a tune sheet box having a pair of frames, each of which is provided with an upper section, a forwardly and laterally projecting lower section, and a horizontal section having a hook adapted to engage the piano case, substantially as specified.

S. An auto-pneumatic piano case having a recess, a duct-bridge7 a pair of keepers, and a lower abutment, combined with a tune sheet box adapted to enter said recess and having a pair of hooks adapted to engage the keepers, and a stop adapted to engage the abutment, substantially as specified.

Signed by me at St. J ohnsville, N. Y., this 7th day of January, 1908.

ADAM J. HOBART. /Vitnesses `WALTER L. ENGELHARDT, GEORGE Il. HALL. 

